Friday, February 28, 2014

Hi, dear readers, time is ripe and ready for a spring detox! This year I decided to live on fresh vegetable and fruit juice the biggest part of the detox week: juice/smoothie for breakfast, juices for lunch and teatime. For dinner I'll skip the juice and have steamed vegetables instead, a creamy soup or a salad. No coffee, no dairy, no carbs. Lots of water and herbal teas. If you'd like to join me, you'll find a whole bunch of amazing juice recipes on Jason Vale's website (well, there you find EVERYTHING you ever wanted to know about juicing!) or in the free e-book on Lisa's blog Healthy, Happy and Well.

Green vegetable juice is the healthiest. Nevertheless I recommend to mix it up with one or two apples or a few chunks of pineapple if you won't let your detox become a chore.

To start you need a juicer (a centrifugal or a masticating one) and a blender to to add bananas, avocados, berries or ice cubes to your juice.

The little yellow one is the" healthy expresso". It's nothing more than a generous piece of ginger and an apple and, oh yes, it wakes you up... Check out as well Jason's Sherbet Lemonade, it's terrific, one of my favourites !

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Her passion, that is cooking with fresh and seasonal products and presenting her dishes with love and an eye for details. Old family recipes were waiting in the drawer, the big kitchen of the house the perfect workplace already fully equipped and ready to use, and so without further ado Sylvia brought the "klein und fein catering" to life . The little enterprise took off like a rocket.

I had the pleasure to take some photos for Sylvia's website and so I took the chance to ask her a few questions which might reveal a bit more of her lovely personality.

What are your favourite ingredients in spring?

Sylvia: strawberries, asparagus, rucola, from May on I also prepare venison (Maibock), and all kinds of fresh greens.

To decorate I can't wait to pick the first daisies, violets and all the wild herbs on our meadow.

What is your favourite meal?

Sylvia: hm, not easy at all.... I think it's a wonderful filet mignon, medium done, with a big fresh salad.

Name 5 guests whom you would like to gather around your table and to cook for

Sylvia: First of all I would like to invite you and Nancy (us!!, thank you, big hugs, dear Sylvia!), then the singer Udo Jürgens together with the famous chef Sarah Wiener. I've always adored her documentaries about the French cuisine.

Of course my daughter Nicole together with her boyfriend Sven have to join us. Nicole shares my passion for cooking and beautiful details. Sylke, my sister-in-law and creative flower girl, who doesn't cook at all, but therefore appreciates my cooking even more.

Oh, how many guests am I allowed to invite? There's still Navi, a family friend from Paris, who definitely shouldn't miss.

A necessary indulgence?

Sylvia: *laughs* there are a few....

Jewelrywise it's pearls. I love pearls. The pearls even have inspired my logo, the feather of a guinea fowl, Perlhuhn in German. The little white dots on the feathers look like pearls, don't they?

Foodwise, once a year I buy a whole box of Dickmann's chocolate marshmallows and eat them all on my own.

... and whenever I'm in Paris I indulge in the delicious macarons of Ladurée!

What's your dream travel destination and is there a special food you were looking forward to try?

Sylvia: Definitely the South of France, la Côte d'Azur and the Provence. It's precious memories and dream destination at the same time. I'd love to sit with my beloved ones at the seaside enjoying the fresh seafood and fish.

Friday, February 07, 2014

Last time I went to London, I stayed in the heart of Shoreditch. It must be one of my favourite places because the streets are so rich in beautiful and interesting art, and the atmosphere is laid back and effortless in contrast to some other areas of the city. I could not walk past without taking a few pictures... after all London streets are famous for being canvas for artists like Roa, Eine, Stik and Banksy.

Monday, February 03, 2014

This past Saturday I had friends over for a kusmi tea tasting. It felt like the ideal way to spend a cold winter afternoon. And here's our evaluation for you:

kusmi tea "love": India, Christmas, cloves, CARDAMOM, warming, oriental, more a winterlove than a summerlove, a most elegant chai

kusmi tea "euphoria": CHOCOLATE with only a hint of orange, it's filling and comforting, perfect for a cosy evening on the sofa, my favourite, good to drink when craving sweets, dark and strong, a"diet" hot chocolate

About

My name is Bärbel. I love looking at beautiful things: colours, aesthetic food and story telling interiors, wild animals and rare porcelain.
With my Canon EOS D5 I hope to show what caught my eye.
For blog and photography inquiries:
baerbelspittler@gmail.com